Biography by Scott Yanow
One
of a handful of musicians who can be said to have permanently changed
jazz, Charlie Parker was arguably the greatest saxophonist of all time.
He could play remarkably fast lines that, if slowed down to half speed,
would reveal that every note made sense. "Bird," along with his
contemporaries Dizzy Gillespie and Bud Powell, is considered a founder
of bebop; in reality he was an intuitive player who simply was
expressing himself. Rather than basing his improvisations closely on the
melody as was done in swing, he was a master of chordal improvising,
creating new melodies that were based on the structure of a song. In
fact, Bird wrote several future standards (such as "Anthropology,"
"Ornithology," "Scrapple from the Apple," and "Ko Ko," along with such
blues numbers as "Now's the Time" and "Parker's Mood") that "borrowed"
and modernized the chord structures of older tunes. Parker's remarkable
technique, fairly original sound, and ability to come up with
harmonically advanced phrases that could be both logical and whimsical
were highly influential. By 1950, it was impossible to play "modern
jazz" with credibility without closely studying Charlie Parker.
Born
in Kansas City, KS, Charlie Parker grew up in Kansas City, MO. He first
played baritone horn before switching to alto. Parker was so enamored
of the rich Kansas City music scene that he dropped out of school when
he was 14, even though his musicianship at that point was questionable
(with his ideas coming out faster than his fingers could play them).
After a few humiliations at jam sessions, Bird worked hard woodshedding
over one summer, building up his technique and mastery of the
fundamentals. By 1937, when he first joined Jay McShann's Orchestra, he
was already a long way toward becoming a major player.
Charlie
Parker, who was early on influenced by Lester Young and the sound of
Buster Smith, visited New York for the first time in 1939, working as a
dishwasher at one point so he could hear Art Tatum play on a nightly
basis. He made his recording debut with Jay McShann in 1940, creating
remarkable solos with a small group from McShann's orchestra on "Oh,
Lady Be Good" and "Honeysuckle Rose." When the McShann big band arrived
in New York in 1941, Parker had short solos on a few of their studio
blues records, and his broadcasts with the orchestra greatly impressed
(and sometimes scared) other musicians who had never heard his ideas
before. Parker, who had met and jammed with Dizzy Gillespie for the
first time in 1940, had a short stint with Noble Sissle's band in 1942,
played tenor with Earl Hines' sadly unrecorded bop band of 1943, and
spent a few months in 1944 with Billy Eckstine's orchestra, leaving
before that group made their first records. Gillespie was also in the
Hines and Eckstine big bands, and the duo became a team starting in late
1944.
Although Charlie Parker recorded with Tiny Grimes' combo
in 1944, it was his collaborations with Dizzy Gillespie in 1945 that
startled the jazz world. To hear the two virtuosos play rapid unisons on
such new songs as "Groovin' High," "Dizzy Atmosphere," "Shaw 'Nuff,"
"Salt Peanuts," and "Hot House," and then launch into fiery and
unpredictable solos could be an upsetting experience for listeners much
more familiar with Glenn Miller and Benny Goodman. Although the new
music was evolutionary rather than revolutionary, the recording strike
of 1943-1944 resulted in bebop arriving fully formed on records,
seemingly out of nowhere.
Unfortunately, Charlie Parker was a
heroin addict ever since he was a teenager, and some other musicians who
idolized Bird foolishly took up drugs in the hope that it would elevate
their playing to his level. When Gillespie and Parker (known as "Diz
and Bird") traveled to Los Angeles and were met with a mixture of
hostility and indifference (except by younger musicians who listened
closely), they decided to return to New York. Impulsively, Parker cashed
in his ticket, ended up staying in L.A., and, after some recordings and
performances (including a classic version of "Oh, Lady Be Good" with
Jazz at the Philharmonic), the lack of drugs (which he combated by
drinking an excess of liquor) resulted in a mental breakdown and six
months of confinement at the Camarillo State Hospital. Released in
January 1947, Parker soon headed back to New York and engaged in some of
the most rewarding playing of his career, leading a quintet that
included Miles Davis, Duke Jordan, Tommy Potter, and Max Roach. Parker,
who recorded simultaneously for the Savoy and Dial labels, was in peak
form during the 1947-1951 period, visiting Europe in 1949 and 1950, and
realizing a lifelong dream to record with strings starting in 1949 when
he switched to Norman Granz's Verve label.
But Charlie Parker,
due to his drug addiction and chance-taking personality, enjoyed playing
with fire too much. In 1951, his cabaret license was revoked in New
York (making it difficult for him to play in clubs) and he became
increasingly unreliable. Although he could still play at his best when
he was inspired (such as at the 1953 Massey Hall concert with
Gillespie), Bird was heading downhill. In 1954, he twice attempted
suicide before spending time in Bellevue. His health, shaken by a very
full if brief life of excesses, gradually declined, and when he died in
March 1955 at the age of 34, he could have passed for 64.
Charlie
Parker, who was a legendary figure during his lifetime, has if anything
grown in stature since his death. Virtually all of his studio
recordings are available on CD along with a countless number of radio
broadcasts and club appearances. Clint Eastwood put together a
well-intentioned if simplified movie about aspects of his life (Bird).
Parker's influence, after the rise of John Coltrane, has become more
indirect than direct, but jazz would sound a great deal different if
Charlie Parker had not existed. The phrase "Bird Lives" (which was
scrawled as graffiti after his death) is still very true.
https://www.allmusic.com/artist/charlie-parker-mn0000211758#biography
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Biografía de Scott Yanow
Charlie
Parker, uno de los pocos músicos de los que se puede decir que cambió
permanentemente el jazz, fue posiblemente el mejor saxofonista de todos
los tiempos. Podía tocar líneas notablemente rápidas que, si se reducían
a la mitad de velocidad, revelarían que cada nota tenía sentido.
"Bird", junto con sus contemporáneos Dizzy Gillespie y Bud Powell, es
considerado uno de los fundadores del bebop; en realidad era un jugador
intuitivo que simplemente se estaba expresando. En lugar de basar sus
improvisaciones estrechamente en la melodía como se hacía en el swing,
era un maestro de la improvisación de acordes, creando nuevas melodías
que se basaban en la estructura de una canción. De hecho, Bird escribió
varios estándares futuros (como "Anthropology", "Ornithology", "Scrapple
from the Apple" y "Ko Ko", junto con números de blues como "Now s the
Time" y "Parker's Mood") que "tomaron prestado" y modernizaron las
estructuras de acordes de melodías más antiguas. La notable técnica de
Parker, su sonido bastante original y su capacidad para crear frases
armónicamente avanzadas que pudieran ser tanto lógicas como caprichosas
fueron muy influyentes. Para 1950, era imposible tocar "jazz moderno"
con credibilidad sin estudiar de cerca a Charlie Parker.
Nacido
en Kansas City, Kansas, Charlie Parker creció en Kansas City, Missouri.
Primero tocó el cuerno de barítono antes de cambiarse al alto. Parker
estaba tan enamorado de la rica escena musical de Kansas City que
abandonó la escuela cuando tenía 14 años, a pesar de que su maestría
musical en ese momento era cuestionable (con sus ideas surgiendo más
rápido de lo que sus dedos podían tocarlas). Después de algunas
humillaciones en sesiones improvisadas, Bird trabajó duro como leñador
durante un verano, desarrollando su técnica y dominio de los
fundamentos. Para 1937, cuando se unió por primera vez a la Orquesta de
Jay McShann, ya estaba muy lejos de convertirse en un actor importante.
Charlie
Parker, quien fue influenciado desde el principio por Lester Young y el
sonido de Buster Smith, visitó Nueva York por primera vez en 1939,
trabajando como lavaplatos en un momento dado para poder escuchar tocar a
Art Tatum todas las noches. Hizo su debut discográfico con Jay McShann
en 1940, creando solos notables con un pequeño grupo de la orquesta de
McShann en "Oh, Lady Be Good" y "Honeysuckle Rose"."Cuando la McShann
big band llegó a Nueva York en 1941, Parker tenía solos cortos en
algunos de sus discos de blues de estudio, y sus transmisiones con la
orquesta impresionaron mucho (y a veces asustaron) a otros músicos que
nunca antes habían escuchado sus ideas. Parker, que había conocido y
tocado con Dizzy Gillespie por primera vez en 1940, tuvo un breve
período con la banda de Noble Sissle en 1942, tocó tenor con la bop band
de Earl Hines, lamentablemente sin grabar, de 1943, y pasó unos meses
en 1944 con la orquesta de Billy Eckstine, abandonando antes de que ese
grupo hiciera sus primeros discos. Gillespie también estuvo en las big
bands de Hines y Eckstine, y el dúo se convirtió en un equipo a partir
de finales de 1944.
Aunque Charlie Parker grabó con el combo de
Tiny Grimes en 1944, fueron sus colaboraciones con Dizzy Gillespie en
1945 las que sorprendieron al mundo del jazz. Escuchar a los dos
virtuosos tocar rápidos unísonos en canciones nuevas como "Groovin '
High", "Dizzy Atmosphere", "Shaw ' Nuff"," Salt Peanuts " y "Hot House",
y luego lanzarse a solos ardientes e impredecibles podría ser una
experiencia perturbadora para los oyentes mucho más familiarizados con
Glenn Miller y Benny Goodman. Aunque la nueva música fue evolutiva en
lugar de revolucionaria, la huelga discográfica de 1943-1944 resultó en
que bebop llegara completamente formado en discos, aparentemente de la
nada.
Desafortunadamente, Charlie Parker era un adicto a la
heroína desde que era un adolescente, y algunos otros músicos que
idolatraban a Bird tontamente tomaron drogas con la esperanza de que
elevara su forma de tocar a su nivel. Cuando Gillespie y Parker
(conocidos como "Diz y Bird") viajaron a Los Ángeles y se encontraron
con una mezcla de hostilidad e indiferencia (excepto por músicos más
jóvenes que escuchaban atentamente), decidieron regresar a Nueva York.
Impulsivamente, Parker cobró su boleto, terminó quedándose en Los
Ángeles y, después de algunas grabaciones y presentaciones (incluida una
versión clásica de "Oh, Lady Be Good" con Jazz en la Filarmónica), la
falta de drogas (que combatió bebiendo un exceso de licor) resultó en un
colapso mental y seis meses de confinamiento en el Hospital Estatal de
Camarillo. Lanzado en enero de 1947, Parker pronto regresó a Nueva York y
participó en algunas de las interpretaciones más gratificantes de su
carrera, liderando un quinteto que incluía a Miles Davis, Duke Jordan,
Tommy Potter y Max Roach. Parker, que grabó simultáneamente para los
sellos Savoy y Dial, estuvo en plena forma durante el período 1947-1951,
visitó Europa en 1949 y 1950 y realizó el sueño de toda su vida de
grabar con cuerdas a partir de 1949 cuando se cambió al sello Verve de
Norman Granz.
Pero Charlie Parker, debido a su adicción a las
drogas y su personalidad arriesgada, disfrutaba demasiado jugando con
fuego. En 1951, su licencia de cabaret fue revocada en Nueva York (lo
que le dificultaba tocar en clubes) y se volvió cada vez menos
confiable. Aunque todavía podía tocar al máximo cuando estaba inspirado
(como en el concierto de Massey Hall de 1953 con Gillespie), Bird se
dirigía cuesta abajo. En 1954, intentó suicidarse dos veces antes de
pasar un tiempo en Bellevue. Su salud, sacudida por una vida muy plena,
aunque breve, de excesos, declinó gradualmente, y cuando murió en marzo
de 1955 a la edad de 34 años, podría haber pasado por 64.
Charlie
Parker, quien fue una figura legendaria durante su vida, ha crecido en
estatura desde su muerte. Prácticamente todas sus grabaciones de estudio
están disponibles en CD junto con un sinnúmero de transmisiones de
radio y apariciones en clubes. Clint Eastwood armó una película bien
intencionada, aunque simplificada, sobre aspectos de su vida (Bird). La
influencia de Parker, tras el ascenso de John Coltrane, se ha vuelto más
indirecta que directa, pero el jazz sonaría muy diferente si Charlie
Parker no hubiera existido. La frase "Bird Lives" (que fue garabateada
como graffiti después de su muerte) sigue siendo muy cierta.
https://www.allmusic.com/artist/charlie-parker-mn0000211758#biography
01 - Now's The Time - 3:04
02 - If I Should Lose You - 2:49
03 - Mango Mangue - 2:56
04 - Bloomdido - 3:27
05 - Star Eyes - 3:31
06 - Confirmation (master take) - 3:01
07 - My Little Suede Shoes - 3:07
08 - Just Friends - 3:33
09 - Lover Man - 3:24
10 - I Got Rhythm - 12:57
11 - Repetition - 3:00
12 - K.C. Blues - 3:27
13 - Relaxing With Lee (master take) - 2:49
14 - April In Paris - 3:09
15 - Okiedoke - 3:05
16 - The Song Is You - 2:57
Credits:
Charlie Parker (alto saxophone);
Jimmy Carroll (conductor, arranger);
Gene Johnson, Freddie Skerritt, Willie Smith (alto saxophone);
Jose Madera, Coleman Hawkins, Lester Young (tenor saxophone);
Leslie Johnakins (baritone saxophone);
Mario Bauza, Paquito Davilla, Bobby Woodlen, Dizzy Gillespie, Red Rodney, Buck Clayton, Miles Davis (trumpet);
Mitch Miller (oboe);
Bronislaw Gimpel, Max Hollander, Milt Lomask (violin);
Frank Brieff (viola);
Frank Miller (cello);
Myor Rosen (harp);
Al Haig, Stan Freeman, Rene Hernandez, Thelonious Monk, Hank Jones, Walter Bishop, Jr., John Lewis, Ken Kersey (piano);
Irving Ashby (guitar);
Percy Heath, Ray Brown, Roberto Rodriguez, Curly Russell, Teddy Kotick, Billy Hadnott (bass);
Max Roach, Buddy Rich, Roy Haynes, Kenny Clarke (drums);
Jose Mangual (bongo);
Luis Miranda (congas);
Umbaldo Nieto (timbale);
Machito (maracas);
Neal Hefti's Orchestra.
1992
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